Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar – Coal Harbour

The food was good but the wait staff were absolutely horrible. We came in at about 3:30 so that we could get ahead of the happy hour crowd, we had a party of 8 and wanted to try the oysters and beers. We had done some research and had heard Chewies and Rodney’s was the place to go too. So we were one of 4 parties in this large restaurant and order rounds of beers, wine and the $ 1 oysters. $ 2 oysters are also offered as specialty oysters. We ordered 3 dozen $ 1 oysters and 4 $ 2 oysters. The ladies drinks came out in these small shot glasses that were filled to the top and difficult to pick up without spilling. The ladies did one round of drinks like this but felt like they were having to be cautious because they kept worrying they may spill the wine. So on the second round they asked if they could get a «wine glass». The waiter, who was a short guy with chip in his shoulder attitude, said «that is a wine glass», to which the ladies responded pleasantly that they would like a wine glass with a «stem» if possible and that they felt that this may be more of a shot glass which was hard to consume their wine out of of without spilling. This hipster wannabe waiter responded with a stern comment «anything is a shot if you can take it all down» and abruptly walks away. Our table was taken back by his brash comment. He looked very angry as if he was looking for confrontation. We had younger children with us and decided just to brush it off. The place began to fill so we decided to ask for more beers and fries. A new waiter appeared and said «yea I can do that» but 45 minutes later this waiter returned and asked if we wanted anything else. I responded that I had asked for additional items and he the responded that he did not remember this. So we asked for the bill. We had asked at the beginning of the day to split our items up on two checks and had mentioned this twice to our first waiter. Of course the bill shows up and is not split. So we begin to itemize it ourselves. We realize that the $ 2 oysters were actually charged as $ 3.25 instead of $ 2. So we brought this to here attention and the new waiter said that the old waiter told us that these were not part of the speciality list… which he did not. So instead of making a scene over a few dollars, we just paid it but did not leave much in tip. We have already walked to other bars and restaurants through out the evening and mentioned this same story to them. They have explained that at chewies the food may be good but they constantly have HUGE ISSUES WITH THE STAFF. NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!

TL;DR — Subpar service, long wait for food (especially oysters) and lack of attention from wait staff in general. Great food though; BC beach oysters are some of the best I’ve had (and at $ 1 during HH, they’re a worth it!).
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In the past month, I’ve been to Chewies twice for happy hour. I haven’t been the restaurant for brunch or lunch or dinner otherwise so this review may be a bit biased. Happy hour at Chewies at Coal Habour is busy and especially on a Friday afternoon, it’s best to come early. No free parking so your best bet is street parking next to the hotel on up a block or two. Skytrain to Granville or Waterfront if that’s accessible since the walk isn’t bad at all.
The restaurant itself comes with a far bit of lounge/​bar seating and dining area. A lot of folks will come for HH and stand in the front next to the bar and while it’s nice outside, the patio is a good option. There’s a fair bit of available seating, but not enough washrooms! Only two (unisex) washrooms so there’s often a line up! It can also get squishy if you’re at the lounge area and standing with the waiter walking around.
Our order (I’ve tried 4 dishes in the 2 times I’ve been):
BC Beach Oysters — Never had these before I’ve been to Chewies but this is their buck-​a-​shuck special during HH. Very delicious! Good bite and very sweet! There’s actually substance when you bite into it and comes with an assortment of sauces. Now the kicker is — there’s not enough sauces for ALL the tables. I’m not even done eating and a waiter walks by to take my sauces away and gives it to another table. WHAT?! I was shocked. That happened twice in one visit. The other caveat is that you can only order 6 pieces per person at once. You can order again when the first order arrives at your table but you can’t order any more than that. Oh — and it takes like 20 mins to get your order… I sat at Chewies for more than 2 hours waiting for these oysters.
Fried Fanny Bay Oysters — Comes with 5 pieces and served on garlic toast. Wow these are massive! They come so fast too since they’re just deep-​fried. Very heavy and filling… I couldn’t eat all 5 myself.
Pan Seared Calamari — Very fresh and comes out fast as well. Served on a cucumber-​spiraled salad that’s cute. Small for the price so I’d pass next time.
All Dressed Cajun Fries — Probably the most bang-​for-​your-​buck value. Hug cast-​iron pan of fries with STUFF. Definitely very heavy and filling and good to share.
Service is definitely on the fence. My first visit was bad as it took us over 2 hours just to get some oysters and calamari. The drinks came out quickly but the FOOD took forever. Considering that there’s only 2 people at the oyster bar shucking, I’m not surprised that it takes a while. Maybe done on purpose… Our second visit was better — marginally. We came with a larger party (of 15+ people) and maybe that’s why we got on-​par service. We got the attention that we needed and the staff were nice but we still had to wait a long time for food — especially oysters. PLUS they messed up our orders more than a few times. Reservations highly recommended if you don’t want to wait either.
Overall the food was great and I would definitely love to come back for it! The oysters are especially some of the best I’ve had in Vancouver and if they’re $ 1, I’m down! Unfortunately, all of that is offset by the lack of attentive service, slow food and if it’s only HH that I’m coming for, then there’s a lot of other places that have great HH menus. I’m sure the service would be better if it wasn’t so busy… but then maybe they should just have more wait staff WORKING during those hours. I’d come again if I was in the area or working downtown (with reservations) but I’d never make a trip specially for Chewies.

Heard the food is good so decided to go there for happy hour. Was a little late for our reservations and they gave away our table. They said they only hold reservations for 15mins. We arrived 17 mins late. Yes, we were late, but the hostess was pretty rude about it. Pretentious attitude and poor customer service. If you’re ok with being treated poorly then this place is for you. I’ll take my business else where.

Currently here at Chewies for their happy hour. Was sat had our drink orders taken then were completely ignored by our server. Finally flagged down the host (a woman) after 15min to get our order in. Our server still hasn’t acknowledged us. He seems fine to serve everyone but us. Had a way better experience at their other location. Think I’ll stick to the kits Chewies and avoid this one. These boys don’t know how to do their job.

The food was good, pricey but it isn’t unexpected for a seafood joint downtown by waterfront. Beautiful design, views, but the service just ruins the entire experience of the restaurant.
Had to ask two servers to find the one hosting our table just to grab waters, and the drinks took nearly 20 minutes to get to our table. I ordered deep fried oysters, and they came out served cold. The flavour was good, and the food is served beautifully, but again, because of how obnoxious the service was it took away from the dining overall.
The best part would be at the end when we asked our server for the bill, and it took AN HOUR to separate five bills and drinks, and when we went up to make a note of it he defended himself by saying his service was great…
If it was, we would be complaining. And we wouldn’t have had to wait over an hour for a bill.

Its no where near as good as the one in Kits
The staff are not as friendly and there doesn’t seem to be the same vibe as the other location
I would not go back to this location but would go to the Kits location in a heart beat
The server and staff are not as on the ball as the Kits staff
I suggest getting more of their staff there to get a better culture

Stopped by for HH on a Saturday. We ordered the $ 1 oysters and a few appetizers to share. They have four different sauces for the oysters but I just like mine with some lemon and hot sauce. The HH menu had lots of seafood options but nothing stood out except for the cajun fries. It comes out in a skillet, served with sausage and cheese curds. You had me at cheese curds.

We came by at around 2pm on a Monday, the restaurant had a few tables already, and was filling up as we were leaving, probably for their happy hour that starts at 3pm.
We ordered fried oysters, crocs and hush puppies, chicken and waffles, cornbread and a panko shrimp po’boy.
The fried oysters came on top of garlic bread and the entire dish was amazing, really recommend them! The crocs and hush puppies tasted a lot like chicken and were just soso, kind of pricey for 5 tiny pieces and 3 hush puppies. I had the po’boy, I felt that the sauce and the coleslaw made the shrimp soggy, which kind of defeats the purpose of the shrimp being breaded, which is why I ordered it. The sweet chili mayo (?) sauce on the sandwich tho, it was. My boyfriend had the chicken and waffles, he said it was the most moist deep fried chicken he’d ever had, it was quite tasty, I’ve heard that it won awards, which is why he ordered it.
The restaurant had a very open concept, kind of nuzzled in between a bunch of office buildings, we entered in through the wrong way, so we had to walk through the restaurant into the front and get greeted there just to be brought back to the middle of the restaurant. It was our bad for entering in the wrong way, but it’s ridiculous to make us walk back and forth like that. If it’s the wrong way they should just lock the back door. Aside from that, it was nice, I liked that the kitchen was half open concept so I could see the chefs cooking and see our food come up onto the window.
The service here was very laid back, I’m not sure if it was just that shift or if that’s what they are trying to go for, it was different but it wasn’t bad, just not my cup of tea.
Food: ³⁄₅
Atmosphere: ³⁄₅
Service: ³⁄₅
A very solid ³⁄₅ star restaurant for me, it seemed like their dishes were hit and miss for me, I’m not sure if I really enjoy Southern cuisine, so for that reason, I probably won’t be back.

The food was awesome!
The oysters was very yummy. So juicy and flavourful. Their chicken and waffle was very good and satisfying! The beef brisket spicy stew was also very good! We will definitely comeback here.
The only problem that we’ve encountered here was the lack of staff. They were really slow!
Service was very bad.

The restaurant embodies a New Orleans theme and features an open kitchen. We ordered half a dozen oysters to share: two Kusshi oysters (from B.C.), two Effingham oysters (from B.C.), and two Raspberry Point oysters (from PEI). I wasn’t very impressed with the oysters we ordered last night. Maybe it was the type? Maybe they weren’t quite in season? However, oysters are often hit and miss and even great oyster bars sometimes play host to some not-​as-​flavourful oysters (as I’ve experienced), so I’m not overly critical as long as they are fresh. I did enjoy their selection of sauces — the spicy habanero one was my favourite.
If you like horseradish, then you’ll love the Chewies’ Caesar.
For my entrée, I ordered the Southern Fried Chicken. I don’t usually like fried chicken, mostly because I find the batter tends to be tasteless and too thick. The batter for this fried chicken was finished with a maple-​syrupy glaze that gave it a very pleasant sweetness. The sugary flavour went together perfectly with the buttermilk mashed potatoes that it was served with. The chicken was tender and juicy and I cleared the plate, no problem.
i also tried their Chive Baby Biscuits — they were phenomenal (not to sound over-​dramatic) and only $ 4! The biscuits were drizzled with honey butter and garnished with chives. The both of us were marveling at how well they were baked. The outside still retained a bit of a crunch while the inside was soft, but still firm. Every bite was like a bite of buttery goodness.
Read my full review with pictures at

Cajun seafood by way of Canada, say what?! Yup, Chewies features crawfish, étouffée, boudin, and other Southern specialties, served alongside fresh and fried oysters, right on the water. HH is a big draw, with half– off apps and $ 1 oysters aplenty.
The cooked dishes were nicely plated with great flavors, particularly the fried green tomato app with garlic shrimp. Unfortunately, their oysters (both the buck-​a-​shuck and daily features) failed to meet the freshness standard set by other spots in town. Wish we had come with a group to try more dishes but portions were surprisingly generous even for HH.
This location is oddly designed with multiple entrances and apathetic service. The back entrance through the hotel lobby is unattended and nearby kitchen staff met our eyes but offered no greeting or instruction as we entered. Apparently seating yourself, even at the bar, is not appreciated here– we were one of three couples to do so, all greeted with a flurry of confusion when it came time to order.

Like most oyster places, the servers are all men and they provide a relaxed and fun atmosphere. I see the servers having an inside joke where they spin in a circle and would avoid stepping on the Chewie’s logo on the floor… it was fun to see the casualness of the servers and the fun they have at work. I would say that I only have positive things to say with the overall service — servers would let you know that oysters would have a wait cause it’s buck-​a-​shuck, fast with taking the order, and food/​drinks coming out in a timely manner. I don’t mind a small wait for restaurants as long as they acknowledge the wait as compared to me following up with them. The oysters are always fresh with no bad experience and the food is always consistent. Been to this location a few times and I’ve never had an issue so far; my experience at this location is always consistent which is what I would always appreciate.

This was my first time at Chewies. We ordered the calamari, raw oysters (of course!), oysters Rockefeller, all dressed cajun fries, fried green tomatoes and pork belly cracklin’. I would pass on the calamari next time. It’s not like what i’m used to. It’s pan fried and very ‘meaty’. The sauce that it came with was really good though. The raw oysters also came with an assortment of sauces and vinegars. I enjoyed mixing my own dressing for each oyster.
It was recommended to order the Oysters Rockefeller. I’m not a big fan of cooked oysters but these were pretty good. Overall the meal was pretty good. I’d go back to try their other dishes.

We were so lucky to have been served by Chewie himself! He and the servers were friendly and talkative at the Oyster Bar. We ate the oysters Rockefeller, boulliabaise, yaya, and pecan pie and holy moly was it all fantastic!
Chewie, thank you so much for the great food and excellent service! You’ve impressed us Seattleites and we will be back!

We went to Chewies for happy hour under recommendation from local bar staff… It was great! Not desapointed!
Oysters were sooo good! We also had the crocs & hush puppies with the crab cake. It was delicious! The habaneros & passion fruit sauce was awesome!
Staff was friendly. We give it a 10!

Here on a Sunday night for a late dinner. place is busy but not overwhelming. Cool atmosphere, casual-​is there any restaurant in Vancouver that isn’t?
Seafood oriented with fresh oysters but I’d recommend their fried chicken and waffles. Just because it’s hard to find a place with FC&W in van. Ordered the fried oyster as the appetizer. They were flavourful and the paring with the toast was nice but personally, I prefer fresh oysters with less pressing and seasoning .
Again, high recommend the FC&W but the jambalaya is also pretty great. Loaded with seafood and well-​cooked rice, a little on the spicer side but I loved it.
Street parking only but its dt so expected. Exited to come back and try their lunch/​brunch menu.

The ambience of Chewies downtown is lively with lots of people, louder background music than typical and attentive staff. Fun atmosphere dining with groups, couples or solo. We went for the Dine Out Vancouver menu. We ordered the chowder, pork cracklin for appetizers. Delicious! The entrees we has chicken and waffle. That was yummy. The chicken was juicy. The gumbo was ok. I wouldn’t recommend it. Dessert we had red velvet cake and the pudding.
It was a great dinner and I would go back.

I would rate the food as 4 stars, especially the oysters on the half shell, but the service brought the rating down for me.
We stopped by for happy hour on a stormy and rainy Saturday evening. The space is long and narrow, with lots of bar and counter seating. We got there before the dinner rush, so the place wasn’t very full. We ended up ordering:
6 each of the oyster specials ($ 1 for the BC oysters, $ 2 for the east coast ones). While the BC oysters were good, I really liked the ones from the east coast. They were clean and fresh tasting, and were served with four different sauces on the side.
Oysters Rockefeller: these were just ok for me. You get 5 large oysters with cheese sauce and spinach. They were half off during happy hour (regularly $ 17).
Cajun fries: decent
Overall, I liked the food. Unfortunately, it took forever to get our bill since our server was busy shucking oysters, making drinks, and taking care of his other tables. We told him that we wanted our bill, but he kept on doing other things while we waited. After waiting another 15 minutes, we just went to the front and paid our bill with the hostess.
With so many other great choices for seafood in Vancouver, we probably won’t be returning.

I went for their brunch and ordered Fried Chicken and Waffles.
The fried chicken was crispy and well-​cooked but I felt that it needed a little bit more seasoning. Their waffles were just so-​so. The addition of green onions is a little bit surprising for this kind of dish, making it taste unauthentic and ‘Vancouverised’ for lack of better word. And I would have loved more chicken in the dish.
What disappointed me the most was the service though. I went with a big group and one dish came out a good 10 – 15 minutes earlier than the others and we ordered almost the same type of food. We had to wave around for a while to get our waters refilled.
So in summary, the food is just ok and the service is disappointing. Nothing special with the ambience either, at least nothing that stood out for me.

I’ve been to this restaurant a few times, but this was my first time going for happy hour. I love that they have buck-​a-​shuck oysters and 50% off appetizers, but even more awesome is their $ 5 wine & beer specials. Oh yeah! I wasn’t driving so I got to enjoy a few delicious cold beers with my oysters. They have a great selection, too. Most places have only one or two crappy beers (I’m looking at you, Budweiser) but this place has some great craft beer selections. How awesome is that?!
The service is great, but I knocked off one star because it took about half an hour to 45 minutes for our oysters to arrive. All of our other appies arrived before the oysters, which was weird, because we ordered them the moment we sat down.
My favourite appy was the crocodile bites. Wow, so tender and crispy — loved them! I will definitely come back here again and again!